Who Doesn't Want to See a Shirtless Nick Punto?? Ummm... Everyone.

We wanted to share this photo of Nick Punto with you. No reason, other than it made us laugh hysterically. Special thanks to good pal and commenter Seth for posting this on Sooze's Facebook wall... it made her pee a little.

It's one thing for the scrappy Punto to shred the jerseys of Chris Carpenter, Matt Holliday, or Skip Shumacher, for example, but he needs to keep his intact. And shave.

The St. Louis Cardinals and Philadelphia Phillies will meet up for Game One of the best-of-five NLDS Saturday evening with Roy Halladay taking the hill against Kyle Lohse at 4:05pm ET on TBS. Unfortunately, Punto will be riding the pine in favor of Rafael Furcal.

Earlier on in the day, the Arizona Diamondbacks and Milwaukee Brewers will face off in a battle of aces with Ian Kennedy and Yovani Gallardo highlighting Game One of that NLDS matchup at 1:05pm ET.

Braves Drop into Tie with Cardinals for NL Wild Card

“It's like living out a bad dream... You never expect this to happen to you."
-- Chipper Jones

The Atlanta Braves are in the middle of an absolute free fall. In fact, they're all but giving the National League Wild Card to the St. Louis Cardinals.

Derek Lowe struggled once again, surrendering five runs on five hits and exiting in the fifth inning to a chorus of boos from the home crowd at Turner Field during his team's 7-1 loss to the NL East-champion Philadelphia Phillies. Atlanta has now lost four straight and eight of 11, squandering the 8 1/2-game lead they enjoyed just three weeks ago.

Chase Utley, Hunter Pence, and Jimmy Rollins each went yard as the Phillies totally screwed up the Braves plans. They never even had a shot against Roy Oswalt, who gave up only three hits over six solid innings. Atlanta will send Tim Hudson to the mound Wednesday against Joe Blanton in an attempt to wrap up the Wild Card if they emerge victorious and the Cardinals manage to drop their final game of the season.

After rallying from a 5-0 deficit to crush the last-place Houston Astros 13-6, the Cardinals pulled even with the Braves, who had sole possession of the Wild Card lead since June 20. All good things must come to an end I suppose.

And I Got Mad Hits Like I Was Rod Carew

Justin Morneau (a.k.a My Canadian Crusher) matched a career high Thursday afternoon by going 5-for-5 with a walk to aid in the Minnesota Twins come-from-behind victory over the Detroit Tigers in the first of a four-game set, halting the club's three-game skid.

After crushing a 425-foot double to deep center in the eighth, a ball that may have been gone in just about any park but Comerica, Morneau lined a two-out bomb into the right-field seats in the 11th to give Minnesota a 7-5 lead.

The extra-inning heroics, made possible by Todd Jones' mustache, came after the closer failed to convert a save for just the second time in 18 opportunities. Nick Punto -- WHO IS BATTING .320 -- singled to lead off the ninth and ended up scoring on a single from Denard Span, who went 4-for-4 with his hot bat that he's been swinging ever since being called up to replace the injured Michael Cuddyer in right. Span was awarded third after the ball got away from Matt Joyce and crossed home on Joe Mauer’s pinch-hit sac fly that tied the game.

Go Twins

If I may be a total homer for a sec, go Twins. Season-high seven straight. And for a team chock-full of Nick Puntos, you can color me impressed.

This post is dedicated to this guy.

[10,000 Takes] | [Twinkie Town] | [Twins, not Twinkies] | [Bleacher Report]

Boof Bonser Gets the Boot

With Minnesota Twins right-hander Scott Baker coming off the disabled list from a strained right groin, the decision has been made to move the struggling Boof Bonser to the bullpen.

Baker is 2-0 with a 4.09 ERA over six starts while Boof is just 2-6 with a 5.97 ERA and 20 walks in 12 starts. Baker is scheduled to pitch this Thursday against the Baltimore Orioles, who were 0-7 against the Twins last season and haven't won a series against them since 2002.

Sadly, utility infielder Matt Macri will likely be sent back down to the AAA Rochester Red Wings, as manager Ron Gardenhire expects to keep 13 pitchers on his staff to aid the over-worked relief corps. However, if Nick Punto can't work through his strained left hamstring, the Twins are left with just 3 position players riding the bench.

Check up on the Twins at 10,000 Takes: Derek Jeter, Meet Cuddy's Laser Rocket Arm.

[MLB]

Six Twins File For Salary Arbitration

The Twins and their six arbitration-eligible players submitted contract figures Tuesday, including first-timers Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer.

Morneau is seeking $5 million for 2007, a $4.14 million raise from the $385,000 he was paid in 2006. After hitting .321 with 34 home runs and 130 RBIs, the Canadian Crusher was awarded the American League's MVP award. The Twins have offered Morneau $4 million and the two sides are continuing negotiations on a long-term contract for the invaluable 25-year-old first baseman.

The club is also trying to lock up Mauer, the Major Leagues' leading hitter to a long-term deal. The All-Star catcher was paid $400,000 in 2006 and is seeking $4.5 million for 2007 while the Twins have offered $3.3 million.

There is an even bigger gap between Minnesota's $3.3 million offer to Michael Cuddyer and the $4.25 million that the outfielder is asking. Cuddyer and the Twins avoided arbitration last year by agreeing to a one-year, $1.3 million contract with incentives. They certainly got their money's worth out of one of the team's most clutch hitters.

After making $425,000 last year, utility outfielder Leeeeeeew Ford wants a raise to $1.3 million while the Twins are offering him $800,000. Reliever Juan Rincon, who made $700,000 last season, is seeking $2.4 million while Minnesota has offered $1.6 million.

Nick Punto, who made $690,000 last season, is also arbitration-eligible for the second consecutive year. The third baseman submitted a $2.1 million number while the Twins' offer is for $1.6 million.

These six players were paid a combined $3.9 million in 2006. The Twins' are offering a $14.3 million in all while the players are seeking $19.55 million for 2007. The two sides can continue to negotiate a contract until their scheduled hearing begins sometime in February, when a panel of three arbitrators will select one of the two salary figures submitted. Their decision is binding.

As a fan, I sincerely hope some of these players are kept happy and paid what they deserve. Surely, there are other teams out there willing to pay much, much more for their services.

Turning Point

Since June 8th, which has been deemed the Minnesota Twins' turnaround point, they have the best record in the league (45-16), the highest batting average, and the lowest ERA, matching a franchise best. That's right, they've dominated. Much of their success has been credited to Justin Morneau, who leads the majors with a .383 average, 88 hits and 66 RBIs since that date. The Twins sit 7.5 games behind the Detroit Tigers and 1 behind the Chicago White Sox, who they are getting ready to put the beatdown on this weekend, in the final series of this homestand.

Nick Punto, being left out of the lineup for the third straight day Thursday due to a bone bruise near his left kneecap, was able to take batting practice and field some grounders at third base. He says he's feeling better and the soreness is going away. Punto should be ready for the White Sox series, but if the problem lingers over the next few days, Gardy says there is a possibility that the club could make a move to 11 pitchers and add an extra infielder, to avoid putting Punto on the DL.

Quién es su papi: Johan Santana has a career record of 37-13 at the Metrodome. He joins Mark Mulder (40-10), Tim Hudson (39-11) and Roy Oswalt (37-13) as the only other pitchers to win 37 of their first 50 home decisions.

Babes Love Nick Punto

Nick Punto talked to the doc before batting practice Tuesday, and was diagnosed with a bone bruise near his left kneecap. He said it hurt him to jog or even walk, so the Twins' everyday third baseman obviously couldn't play baseball, either.

He has no clue how the injury occurred. Hmmmm... could it have been a sweet head-first slide into first base after a much-need sacrifice bunt? The world may never know.

Punto is hitting .312 on the season with 89 hits (20 doubles and three triples) in 285 at bats. He's walked 42 times, struck out 47, and has batted in 31 runs, scoring 51 himself. He is pretty key to the Twins lineup, so let's hope that knee feels better soon!

So, Luis Rodriquez (who is almost cool enough to be called L-Rod) is filling in for the time being. Rodriguez has proven to be a better option than Michael Cuddyer at third, cause Cuddy's got a hell of a cannon, and he's awesome in the outfield. Does this mean more playing time for Josh Rabe?